In Her Name
by elfigreen14
Summary: Eponine was never meant to die at the barricades. When she wakes after being shot, she finds she is recovering in the house on Rue Plumet. She will live under the same roof as Cosette, Marius and Enjolras. But how will that end? E/E
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Hi. So this is my 2****nd**** fanfic, and my 1****st**** Les Mis fanfic, so comments, reviews, & advice are most welcome. I am a big believer in E/E, and that's exactly what this story is. Props to IAmAmeliaJessicaPond, for inspiring me with her infinite and always amazing E/E stories. Not to mention her Les Mis/Phantom crossover – THAT is pure genius. Anyway, this is for you, IAmAmeliaJessicaPond!**

**In Her Name**

The rain had begun to fall, but no flowers grew.

Marius cradled in his arms the lifeless body of his dear friend 'Ponine. She wanted him with her when she died, and he did not have the heart to refuse her. He stroked her hair with his blood stained hands as she drew her last breath.

Now it seemed as if all the gunshots had ceased, as if the whole world had stopped, just for that moment. The world was not meant to be without the spitfire that was Éponine Thenardier. The whole world could sense her in pain, and Marius knew the world mourned her loss, for the sky was shedding tears. He held her even closer now, as if holding her tighter might revive her soul.

"Marius," he heard a voice say as a hand came to rest on his shoulder. Marius could just barely make out Enjolras past the tears threatening to flow from his eyes.

"Marius, you must get up. We cannot leave her body here – "

"No! I can't leave her!" Marius had given up and let the tears fall from his eyes onto Éponine's earth-worn face. "I tried to keep her safe. I only put her in harm's way!"

"Come Marius; don't continue to be a fool. We shall put her body in the café, for a proper burial later. You don't want her to be lost to the sewers, do you?" Enjolras begged for his friend to see reason. Reluctantly, Marius slowly loosened his grip on Éponine's body, and allowed Joly and Enjolras to take her into the café. He sat there, numb, his mind blank.

Enjolras walked slowly behind Joly, both taking care with the street girl's body. She was like a sister to them all, and neither said a word as they laid her down on one of the tables in the back of the café.

"Joly, I am reassigning you," Enjolras said steadily, his voice hardly a whisper. "Gather your things and stay here. We will bring any injured person in here, and you must do your best with them, alright?" Joly nodded in understanding as he went to the back room to gather his medical supplies.

Enjolras looked down at her, the angel in disguise, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He looked at her, where the rain had cleaned her face of her suffering on earth. He untied his cravat lifted her head, and tied it around Éponine's neck.

"In your name, we fight today, 'Ponine. In your name."

**A/N – Wow, shorter than I thought. But there is much more, my pretties! You want it? R&R, s'il vous plait! ;)**


	2. Return To Rue Plumet

**Chapter 1**

She truly thought she had died. For when Éponine opened her eyes, she saw she was lying in a bed, in a room she had never seen before. And oh, the room was glorious. Simple, yet tastefully elegant, with a vanity just across from the bed, and an oak armoire next to the tall window, which had the curtains drawn, to let in the radiant sun.

_This must be heaven,_ she thought. _Never in my life have I seen a room as magnificent as this one. Or slept in a bed this soft and warm._ She had considered herself lucky if she found herself not sleeping in an alleyway, most nights. She sat up in the bed to look out the window. The sky was now a bright blue, without a cloud in sight. Too quickly, the memories flooded back to her, as well as the pain in her side, fiercer than anything she had known. No she couldn't be dead. Death was supposed to be quick and peaceful, not physically painful. She recalled climbing the barricade, then suddenly falling into the arms of Marius…_Marius._

Just then, the door Éponine hadn't noticed before creaked open, revealing a petite blonde, looking at Éponine with relief in her eyes. _I am certainly __**not**__ dead,_ she thought. _Cosette wouldn't be in my heaven. Only Marius._

"Éponine!" Cosette exclaimed, rushing to her side. "Oh, thank heavens you're alright! Marius and I have worried ourselves night and day! How do you feel? Are you in any pain?"

_Of course I'm in pain, stupid girl. I've been shot. _Éponine dared not speak her mind, just in case Marius was not far behind his beloved. "A little pain, yes. But I'm sure I will be fine."

Cosette moved her hand over Éponine's forehead, checking for any signs of a fever. "Good. Joly did his best for you, but rest assured you have been well looked after by the best physician we could find. Marius would allow nothing less."

"How is he, Marius?" Éponine only just realized – he could have died as well. But he didn't.

Cosette gave the girl la sweet, genuine smile. "Getting stronger by the day. He was shot in the leg, but not gravely. The doctors were able to save his leg, and he walks with a cane. But that shouldn't be much longer now. " Her expression changed to one of mock agitation. "You, however, mademoiselle, gave the boys quite a scare," she said with a laugh. "They all thought to be dead when they brought you to the café. Then you gave practically gave Joly a heart attack. You began breathing again, shallow, but breathing nonetheless. They say your supposed death was what kept them alive through battle. They wanted to avenge your death. Fight in your name."

Éponine mulled over the idea for some moments. Fighting in her name? Most of the boys barely knew her. Why would they want to fight for her? And why would Cosette be taking such good care of her, when she hardly knew her? Éponine recalled Cosette immediately the first time she and her father had stepped into the square as the little servant girl she used to poke fun at as a child. But Cosette had not made the connection herself, as of now. Éponine supposed she should be grateful to her. Cosette could have easily turned her away and left her to die in the streets of Paris. But no, this girl had the same sense of charity as her father.

"Thank you, Cosette," she whispered, slightly grudgingly. She didn't much like the idea of owing Cosette anything. But Éponine prided herself on the manners Marius had taught her. Lord knew her parents hadn't stepped up to that plate. And thanks were due to Cosette. "Thank you for your kindness. I'm certain I would have perished, were it not for you and Marius."

Cosette reached for Éponine's hand and grasped it tightly in both her own. "There's no need, Éponine. You brought the man I love to my doorstep, and asked for nothing in return. We should be thanking you." She wrapped Éponine in a tight embrace, and Éponine reluctantly returned the gesture. "You do not know how happy I am that you are alive," Cosette began to say. "You are the closest thing I've ever had to a companion. I would like it very much if you and I could be friends."

Friends? With Cosette? Éponine stared at her incredulously. She really had no idea the kind of "friend" Éponine had been to her when they were smaller. Éponine thought about it for a moment. Perhaps being friends with Cosette, she could find some flaw about her, and expose her to Marius. Yes, that would be useful.

She nodded gently. "Yes, I would like that very much, Cosette." Thrilled, Cosette again held her in a hug. And behind her back, Éponine smirked at the girl's naivety.

**A/N – Chapter 1, success? Eponine won't be totally evil. But let's face it, she hasn't been raised by the best of people. Scheming is in her blood. But I promise, it'll all work out. Oh, and Marius and Enjolras will turn up next chapter. That is guaranteed Review? Please?**


	3. Confrontation

**Chapter 2 – Confrontation**

Marius waited in the courtyard, pacing the same five feet over and over again. Oh, how he hoped she was still alive! She had given everyone quite a fright that morning, with her sudden burst of shallow breathing. They had sent for Joly straight away, and after opening the windows, he declared it no more than a spasm, her body reacting to its injury. But Marius always had that little doubt in his heart. He was scared for his friend 'Ponine.

_Oh 'Ponine…_

There was no denying it: Éponine had confessed to loving him. Caught up in the emotion as he watched his friend dying, Marius had leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips as she drifted into unconsciousness. He had not expected to face Éponine again.

How could he have missed it? Marius always thought of Éponine as a little sister. After all, she always clung to him, and tried to do as he taught her. He'd believed she was just looking for some sort of guidance, for he knew her parents provided very minimally in that area. For all intents and purposes, he was more family to Éponine than her own parents. It was for this reason he had never given to much thought to all her attentions. Now, he felt terribly dense and stupid, and most importantly, guilty. In an effort to please him, she had done as he'd asked, and in the process he put her in harm's way.

His thoughts in a mess, Marius rubbed his temples as her heard footsteps approaching, and turned to see Cosette.

"How is she? Is she awake?" he asked urgently.

"She is fine, Marius," she said calmly. "Still a little weary and in pain, but it's nothing time can't heal. The doctor did his job well, as did Joly." Cosette let her mouth curve into a little smile. "Oh Marius, she is so lovely. I do hope she and I will be great friends!"

"That is what I had hoped, love," he replied, taking her hands in his. "Éponine has been such a good friend to me, and I'm sure you will both get along very well." Although, in his mind, Marius didn't know if he believed that anymore.

Cosette's smile faded slowly as she remembered something. "Darling, I must go see to the details of Papa's funeral. I cannot afford to avoid it any longer," she said sullenly. Not three days ago, Jean Valjean had died in his sleep. But not before calling his daughter to his bedside, and giving her the letter that explained all of Cosette's life before he'd come for her.

Marius nodded. "Would you like me to help you? I know this has all been very difficult for you." She shook her head slowly.

"No thank you, Marius. I would prefer to deal with this on my own. I must think about everything Papa wrote in his letter. After his funeral, I would so like to find the family I lived with as a child."

"But how? Do you remember anything about them?"

"I don't know. But we shall deal with that when the time comes," Cosette said. "Why don't you go see Éponine? I believe she should still be awake. I asked Eleonore to bring her some lunch."

Marius frowned inwardly. He wasn't quite ready to some face to face with Éponine yet. "Perhaps in a moment. I shall let her finish her meal while I go check on Enjolras. He does get so restless."

Cosette smiled again as she kissed him on the cheek and returned to the house. Marius watched her as she retreated. Even in her sadness, she could still find something to smile at, and shine like the sun. He remembered why he had fallen for her in the first place. He grinned as he turned toward the garden, where his friend spent most of his time.

No one at the barricade escaped unscathed, and the brave leader of the students was no exception. Enjolras had also been shot in the leg, but was not healing as fast as Marius. Restless as always, he began limping around as soon as his body allowed it; however, he became tired very quickly, and this maddened him to no end.

Marius found his friend just where he suspected, making his rounds through the garden, struggling with every step.

"You're just going to make it worse," he warned Enjolras, quickly making it to his side, just in case. "Don't you remember you almost fell yesterday in the sitting room?"

Enjolras scowled at him. "This damned leg makes me feel like a bloody cripple. I hate it. And for what? A failed revolution?"

"That's not true, Enjolras," Marius retorted. "True, we may not have achieved the results we wanted, but we made progress. We caught the people's attention. If you were to go outside, you'd hear it. They're all talking about what the students stood for! And they're realizing we're right! They're opening their eyes to what's been in front of them their whole lives. They realize they're not content with the scraps they've gotten, and they want to see change. Don't you see, Enjolras? We've lit the flame. And perhaps we've inspired others to lead the next rebellion."

They had stopped walking, and Enjolras saw the passion in Marius' eyes as he spoke. It was the same spark he felt when making all those speeches to the students in the café. He couldn't help his smile.

"When did you decide to take my job, Pontmercy? I thought I was the prolific speaker," he said with a smirk. "But you're right. Besides, it doesn't seem as though either of us will be returning to the battlefield anytime soon."

Marius patted him on the back, when suddenly Enjolras remembered the events of that morning. "How is Éponine? Has she said anything yet?"

"I believe so. Cosette has just come down from seeing her. Would you like to join me to see her?" Marius half hoped he'd say yes, so he wouldn't have to face Éponine alone.

"Why don't you go on ahead of me?" Enjolras replied. "I think I shall rest a while before making the journey upstairs."

Marius nodded with deflated enthusiasm as he left his friend. It was time to face Éponine.

**A/N – So, this felt like a boring chapter to me. Fair warning, it may be a little slow for the next couple of chapters. But this is important context I'm providing for future chapters. It will pick up soon, I promise! Stick with me, people! **

**HUGE thank you to all those who've subscribed to the story and added it to their Favorites! That's a total honor, thank you so much! Hugs for all!**

**And an even HUGER thank you to those who've commented & reviewed! Taking the time to provide feedback is so great of you all, and your reviews make me so happy, I literally do a happy dance! (It resembles the Carlton Dance from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!) Keep it coming? Reviews would be a nice birthday present ;)**


	4. Confessions

**A/N – M'kay, finally some interaction with ****É****ponine and one of the boys! So, I've been asked, and just to clarify, I am basing my Enjolras on a mix between the Hugo character and the musical character. Therefore, he and our Mlle Thenardier won't be getting together too soon. But they will. Just join me for the ride!**

**Chapter Three – Confessions**

Éponine sat up in the bed, putting her now empty soup bowl on the nightstand to her right. The large window also to her right provided a clear and lovely view of the garden behind the house. The corner of her mouth rose slightly upon the sight of Enjolras hobbling through the flora. It brought her a little more relief to know she still had friends alive, though she and Enjolras weren't necessarily friends. Mutual acquaintances was probably a better term to describe them. Still, he was another familiar face, and that was good enough. She looked on as he was joined by another figure. Éponine could tell just by looking at him from behind that it was Marius. She had spent enough years following him to know the back of his head.

Why? Why had he insisted on her taking the letter to Cosette? But more importantly, why did she do it? Éponine wanted nothing more than to be everything Marius thought of, yet she had been the one to bring them together. Why could she not refuse him? Anything he ever asked of her, Éponine did without a second thought. Did he really not see how far she would go for him? Did he not see the pain in her eyes every time he spoke of his angel on earth? Did she not see that Marius could never love a vagabond girl like her? She felt a warm tear escape the corner of her eye and hurriedly wiped it away.

"You are a fool, Thenardier," she thought aloud.

"I should say so," came an unmistakable voice from the doorway. Marius moved toward the edge of her bed, both hands together behind his back, a teasing look on his face. "Only a foolish girl would disguise as a boy and climb over a barricade just to deliver a letter." He had taken a seat next to Éponine on the bed, and before he could speak another word, she flailed her arms around him and held him close. Marius in turn wrapped one arm around her, while cradling her head in his other hand, stroking her dark hair repeatedly. They remained so for a while, until Marius just had to look her in the eye.

"Éponine, please forgive me," he whispered, his voice quivering. "You would have never been wounded had I not asked you to find Cosette for me."

"Marius, no," she retorted, taking hold of his hands desperately. Éponine did not want him feeling guilty for her sake. "I chose to go. I am truly the fool. I could have said no. But I could not refuse you." Realizing her words, she cast her gaze down. "You are my friend," she added quickly.

He continued to watch her as she kept her eyes down, sitting in communal silence for a moment. The silence was killing Marius. He had to know…

"'Ponine, at the barricade, when you were shot, did…did you say…were you trying to tell me…"

"Yes," she answered quickly, not wanting to hear it from his lips. She remembered only too well the last exchange they'd had, as she had lay dying in his arms. Or so they thought. She shut her eyes tight. If she didn't open them, the tears wouldn't fall out.

It was as if Marius had been shot once again. Only this time, the pain emanated from his chest. "But 'Ponine, why didn't you ever tell me?"

Her eyes shot open and stared at his incredulously. She had to hold back a bitter laugh and let his hands go. "Did you really never ask yourself why I was constantly at your side? Always ready and willing to do whatever you asked of me? Anything and everything, I would do for you Marius! Even delivering your letter to that bourgeois doll of yours! You showed me such affection, that I had hoped you would come to love me…" Her voice trailed off, accompanied by heart-wrenching sobs that only made Marius feel so much the worse.

"Éponine," he began, speaking over her cries. "Éponine, please. Forgive me. I…I didn't know." He felt like the worst human being on the face of the earth. How could he have been so blind? All this time, he had only thought she was being friendly, looking for that escape from the life she had led alongside her delinquent parents. And without realizing it, Marius had encouraged her sentiments, always treating her with the utmost kindness, compassion and respect, as he would any lady. But she had taken it as something else…But he should have seen it too!

"How could you not see it Marius?" she cried. Her tears only flowed faster, her breathing becoming sparse. "The whole world saw it! Enjolras saw it! Joly! Grantaire! Even little Gavroche knew, for God's sake!"

Marius felt himself falling apart inside. He had to exert all his strength not to break down in front of Éponine. "'Ponine, I am sorry. There is no excuse for my stupidity. But you must know, I have always seen you as a great, great friend." He searched for her hands, as she had done before, but she swiftly pulled them away, not looking at him, but out the window. He continued anyway. "And as long as you are my friend, not a day will go by when you won't have food, clothes, and a place to sleep at night. From now on, this house is your home. And everyone in it is your family. Your true family." Marius reached to touch her cheek softly, and felt her shiver under his touch. Realizing that wasn't the best idea, he quickly retreated his hand, got up, and closed the door behind him. He remained at the door however, silent and still, where he could still hear her crying. Leaning his head against the door, Marius let a few silent tears roll down his face as well, knowing full well that he had broken her heart. And it hadn't been in such fair condition to begin with.

In that moment, he vowed to himself that he would never let Éponine Thenardier suffer at the hands of anyone ever again. Most especially at his own.

Inside the room, Éponine was wiping away her tears when she realized she was doing so with something that did not belong to her. Tied loosely around her neck was a black muslin cravat, now soaked in her tears.

**A/N - See, I had this chapter all planned out. Then when I get to typing, it comes out waayyy different! I had not planned for this chapter to be so angsty! But I just got inspired! And I think it will play out well with the rest of the fic. Thanks so much for staying with me! Oh, and if you feel my chapters are short, tell me, so I can post more substantial chapters. Review, por favor? :D**


	5. A Stroll in The Garden

**A/N – Screw it. I'm not gonna make this harder for myself than it has to be. I've kept you guys waiting literally forever. I tried doing all the necessary research to make this as accurate as possible. But let's be serious. That wasn't gonna happen with school in full swing. And personally, I hate those dry spells when none of my subscriptions are updated. Not that I blame any of those authors. I mean, duh, we all have lives. So here you are. Ace, it might not be totally perfect, but I think this end product is tolerable. Enjoy everyone!**

**Chapter Four – A Stroll in the Garden**

She could not take another second of lounging about in this infernal bed. Slowly, Eponine pulled back the covers that had kept her warm for days, and carefully rose to her feet. From the pain shooting through her left side, she deduced she had been shot in the abdomen. It was a miracle she had not bled to death. Silently she sent a prayer of thanks to Joly, wherever he was. Had he not treated her when he had, she might not be alive just now.

Clutching her side, Eponine supported herself with the dark wooden nightstand and found her balance. Walking was not the hard part; walking slowly so as not to injure her abdomen was where the difficulty lay. Eponine hated moving slowly. She was a very efficient sort of person, performing the tasks her father would set on her with quickness and precision. The quicker she finished, the sooner she could be with Marius…

Her thoughts clouded with irritation, she sank back down on the bed, still minding her wound. She knew she should hate him. She knew she should give him up. Yet for the life of her, she couldn't. He had been good to her when her life was so miserably horrid. Marius made her feel so at ease, treated her like a person, not some rogue street rat. Marius made her feel as if she mattered. Even if only to him, she mattered. Oh, her mother cared for her; better than her father did, at least. But her _maman _never believed she was worth much, that she would ever make something of herself. Monsieur Marius filled her with hope and illusions and dreams. He made her feel liked, appreciated, even loved. But he didn't love her. Why? Why not? Simply because she was not like Cosette, a proper young lady? She could have been. Had Fate been kind to her family, Eponine would have grown to be the daughter of a relatively respectable innkeeper. She would have been schooled in the art of being a proper young lady. She would have been just like Cosette.

Eponine had to leave the room. She had spent enough time there as it was, and another minute would drive her mad. Moving as quickly as her injury would allow, Eponine hobbled out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She moved to the staircase on her right, and faced the daunting task of making it down the steps. Stepping carefully, she took the first step, and not feeling too much pain, Eponine took the steps a little faster. Upon descending the last step, Eponine rounded the corner sharply, running into a wall. The wall seemed to have arms, for it reached out and steadied them both to avoid a fall.

"Don't you think you should slow down, Mademoiselle?" Enjolras asked, dropping his hands to his side. "You've only just woken up this morning."

"You're one to talk, Monsieur. Limping aimlessly through the garden on a bum leg? You may do more harm than good," Eponine retorted with a smug face.

Enjolras couldn't help but crack a smile. He would have expected nothing less from the sharp-tongued gamine. "Cosette has been very kind, letting me recover here. But I couldn't keep staring at the ceiling in that bedroom."

"It'd drive anyone mad," she agreed. "I know I should be grateful, but I felt like a prisoner in there. Can't keep a street rat caged up, monsieur. It goes against nature."

"You mustn't walk alone. What if you fall?" Though he didn't show it outwardly, Enjolras was relieved to see Eponine up and about, and most of all alive. He had lost most of his friends, and seen so many others lose their loved ones – seeing a familiar face was something rare these days. And he couldn't bear to see anymore hurt.

She eyed him carefully. He looked so tired. He had always seemed tired to her, whenever she had seen him at the Café Musain pouring over war strategies and maps of Paris. Of course he took care of himself, but it was obvious he put more effort into the revolution than in his own wellbeing. But this was different. It was hard to tell for sure without getting uncommonly close, but it looked as if Enjolras had gotten…well, older. His eyes were encircled by dark shadows, and his eyelids looked heavy. His normally distinguished posture had disappeared, with his shoulders slumped down, head hanging forward. What had happened to the eloquent, noble student she had seen so many times before?

"You seem tired, Monsieur Enjolras. You ought not to be exerting yourself…" It was hard to say to him. He might have looked physically spent, but he was still an imposing figuring to Eponine.

"Nonsense, I'm perfectly fine. I'll walk with you," he insisted, and he led her to the garden. "Besides, I dare say we could both use the exercise. How are you feeling?"

"Better, I suppose. Though I was asleep for most of the last few days. And yourself?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose. It has been…difficult. Not only did our efforts fail, but we lost so many good men…" His voice trailed as they walked past the vegetable patch. Eponine glanced over to see him cast his gaze down at his feet, then meet hers. "I'm truly glad to see you unharmed," he told her with a small smile.

She matched his smile shyly. "You as well, Monsieur." Eponine felt just the same, and was determined to lift his spirits. She knew there was one thing that would get him talking. "But tell me monsieur, what exactly were you trying to achieve? It all seemed so senseless to me." She wasn't just asking to make him feel better. She truly was curious.

He turned to her, almost indignant. "Eponine! You of all people would benefit from what we are striving for. We republicans believe the state should serve its people, not some monarch on a throne. Wouldn't it be grand if your government worked for you instead of trying to please a king or tyrant? Everyone would get exactly what they deserved, what they needed. There would be no need for you to live on the street, or to steal to survive. You would be taken care of," he almost whispered. "It wouldn't be a perfect world. But it'd be a hell of a lot better than it is now."

Eponine smiled at him a little wider. His world sounded so wonderful. If only it actually existed. "But, you've failed, monsieur."

Enjolras' smile turned genuine, as did hers. "Perhaps. But by what Marius has told me, the people seem to have been greatly impacted by our actions, and the beliefs that fueled them. They have begun to discuss among themselves the reality that they see, that they experience every day. Maybe soon, they'll be ready to see things change. Or to change it themselves. One can only hope."

"And you, Monsieur? Will you be ready?"

"I still have much to learn. I was foolish to think I could lead an army with my limited knowledge. I left the university to go chase a daydream. I think it's time I returned to my studies. "

Eponine released a soft sigh. She had always wanted to study. If things had been different, if she'd been born a boy, she might have. But they weren't, and she wasn't. "Do you think they'll allow you to return, Monsieur? You were a traitor to the government, after all."

_This girl is so perceptive,_ he thought to himself. Not all the students had realized the magnitude of their situation once they turned their back on the government. Yet here she was, quick as a whip to recognize the consequences of their actions. "I suppose they must, after that visit from my father."

"Your father?" Eponine had never heard Enjolras mention any family. She hadn't been aware he had a family to speak of.

"Yes. My father and I don't quite see the world in the same way, and once I announced my plans to join the revolution, he was quick to throw me out of the house."

"Oh. I'm so sorry."

He shrugged it off. "Don't be. I was shortly taken in by Courfeyrac. Anyhow, after word spread of the disaster at the barricade, my mother became worried sick and sent my father out in search of me. Once he found me here, he was quick to chastise my every stupid mistake. He threatened to disown me if I try anything like that again." Eponine could hear a clear disdain in his voice as he spoke of his father. Not unlike the tone she used when speaking of her own father. "He commanded that I go back to school to resume my studies."

"And you're going to do as he says?" she asked with a furrowed brow. He didn't seem like the type to take orders, but give them. She wished she could give her father a piece of her mind, as Monsieur Enjolras had done.

"I suppose that's my only option right now, so I agreed. He's probably already smoothed matters over with the gendarmes and the university, most likely with a hefty bribe," Enjolras sneered with disgust. As he took an angry step, he winced from the pain, and made for the bench he had occupied that morning. Eponine carefully placed herself next to him, studying his face. She could see that maybe this topic of conversation was not so pleasant after all.

"Is he still alive, monsieur?" she asked quietly. "Courfeyrac, I mean." This probably wasn't the best subject to stay on either, but she had to know. She considered many of les Amis her friends ,or at least the closest thing to friends she'd ever have, and the curiosity was too much for her.

Enjolras nodded, happy to give at least some good news. "Thankfully yes. One of the few to have survived."

She proceeded cautiously. "Who…who did we lose, monsieur?" Eponine looked at him with pleading eyes, wanting to know.

Enjolras looked at the girl. He could see the sadness in her eyes, ready for the worst. He spoke in hushed, clipped tones all of a sudden."Well, Joly is safe and sound, thank God. I had him out of harm's way, tending to the wounded. He's the one to thank for your recovery, you know…"

"Monsieur, please." Eponine didn't want him beating around the bush. He heaved a sigh.

"Bahorel. Jean Prouvaire. Combferre. Feuilly. Lesgle. Guillory. Ferrars. Everyone," he recited, furiously running his hands through his hair. Eponine hung her head, silently staring at the cobblestone path that wound through the garden. All of them. _Gone_. But wait…

"And Grantaire?" she asked quietly. "Monsieur, what about him?"

He stood up hastily, and walked a few paces in front of her, as if nothing was wrong with his leg.

"He died. In an effort to protect the man who put him in harm's way in the first place!" Eponine stared at him as he continued to pace before her. Then he suddenly stopped and crooked his head to look at her. "He_ died_ trying to save me, Eponine. _Me_." Enjolras was barely audible at this point. Tears threatened to spill, she could see it. But she knew they would never escape, not if he could help it. "And we _hated_ each other! Or at the very least, I could hardly stand him. He never took anything we did seriously! And the one time he decided to show some backbone, he ends up dead." By now, he had collapsed back beside Eponine on the bench, overridden with a guilt that was all too plainly visible on his face. She gently placed her hand on his back and rubbed in a soothing gesture that had always calmed her brother…her brother…

"Monsieur! Monsieur, do you remember seeing a young boy at the barricade?" she asked frantically. "About ten years old, with a cap similar to mine?"

He didn't look up at her, but only nodded. "Yes, Gavroche you mean? Yes, he was there. Died while running to gather ammunition."

She moved to cover her mouth with her hand, but it wasn't enough to muffle the cry that escaped. Out of nowhere, the tears rolled down from her eyes in a seemingly never-ending way. Enjolras turned at the sound of her cry, and immediately put more space in between them. He never really enjoyed seeing women cry, especially since they could be so volatile when upset. But he had to know what was wrong.

"Did you know him, Eponine?"

"He was my brother, Enjolras!" she yelled at him in between sobs. Her head had sunk into her palms, muffling the heart-breaking cries that still echoed through the garden.

"_You're brother?_ But, Eponine, he never said…"

"He didn't want you all to know! He was ashamed! Ashamed of his father and his trade!"

It hit him. His young comrade hadn't wanted to associate himself with such a cunning local villain. Everyone knew the infamous Thenardier and his gang. If it had been him, Enjolras wouldn't want to be connected to those vermin either.

He turned back to Eponine, who made no effort to constrain her tears. What was he supposed to do now? He'd never comforted a woman before. He'd never even so much as shaken hands with one, much less have to deal with an emotional train wreck. But this was Gavroche's sister – he supposed he had to try.

"Eponine, I'm sorry. Truly I am…"

She turned on him instantly. "No you're not! All you cared about was your revolution and your stupid ideals! Did you even consider his safety? A ten year old boy in the heat of battle!"

"Eponine, I tried! We all did! We didn't want him getting hurt! We all wanted him safe…"

"Well why didn't you try harder?" And she stormed off, no longer concerned with her healing wound. Enjolras had already cut open a much deeper wound, and she didn't know if this one would ever heal.

**A/N – I don't deserve it, but if you're feeling particularly charitable…review? :)**


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